Minority game

Where do those 10% of Russians come from who are not ready to unconditionally approve any actions of the country's leadership

An important factor due to which people find themselves in a conditional "minority" in modern Russia is their position in the economic system. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, to a greater extent than in regional centers, a situation was created where the income of people who worked in banks and corporations did not depend on their professional qualifications. They signed an unspoken "Putin treaty". Unspoken because the statement of its presence would mean the recognition that the benefits received by these workers do not correspond to the level of their competence.

The other group was outside this system, although it also got oil cakes in the form of the solvency of the population, including the first group. But they - freelancers, people from small and medium-sized businesses, non-profit organizations - are more accustomed to relying on themselves and taking responsibility for their actions. They were not included in the state-corporate structure, they themselves were responsible for their own income, they were used to counting on several steps forward and soberly assessed the real state of affairs in the economy during the “Crimea Nash”. Partly for economic reasons, they are also sickened by nostalgia for the USSR: having won in the market conditions of free competition, they would have lost in the socialist system of leveling.

It would be a great exaggeration to say that all dissenters think independently

The second factor is the initial predisposition to a certain political position. It would be a great exaggeration to say that all dissenters think independently. There are those who are simply always against the authorities and react the way their party reacts - in this case, the opposition. Some were not strongly biased, but politics as a whole was within the scope of their interests and they were critical of the actions of the authorities. Such people never entered into an alliance with propaganda, so they had no difficulty in resisting its impact. In turn, the "majority" did not think about political issues and fell under the influence of the "box".

People who do not succumb to anti-Western and anti-American rhetoric, of course, are also heterogeneous in composition. There are indeed so-called Russophobes among them. At the heart of their beliefs is the idea that there are beautiful and correct Western countries and we are the unfortunate freaks and "genetic slaves". Many of them have never been to the West, but they believe in its superiority, unlike those who are well acquainted with European life, who feel Western society and understand Western people. On the one hand, this cohort of "unyielding" people does not resonate with the idea that in the West everyone is corrupt, insincere, prudent, etc. On the other hand, they realize that not everything is perfect and not everything is a priori better, although there is a tangible difference, for example, in the level of security, respect for the individual, and everyday comfort. In a word, awareness and a sober view of the situation play a big role in the attitude towards the West, however, as well as in assessing the actions of one's own political leadership.